$2m cannabis grow houses at 'organised crime level'

Tara Miko
Reporter
Tara started with APN in 2010 after graduating with a journalism and politics degree from Griffith University in Brisbane. After two-and-a-half years working on APN papers in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, she joined the team at The Chronicle in February 2013. In September that year she took over the reins of the Rural Weekly.

UPDATE 5.45PM: Hundreds of high-quality, mature marijuana plants with an estimated street value approaching $2 million have been seized from two elaborate grow houses in the Lockyer Valley.

Inside two seemingly harmless houses on corner blocks in Gatton, police will allege organised crime syndicates with international links grew large quantities of cannabis to fuel the drug supply trade around the wider region.

The Lockyer Valley Crime Car received a key piece of information early this morning leading to the first house on Falconer St, just 1km from the Gatton CBD.

"We estimate at this stage somewhere in the vicinity of 150 to 200 cannabis plants are being produced in this residence," LVCC Sergeant Bradley Browning said.

"Each and every room in this residence has been used to grow cannabis plants."

State Crime Command detectives raided six homes in Brisbane on February 20-21, locating six purpose-built grow houses and seizing 459 cannabis plants, 10kg of dried cannabis and large amounts of drug production material.

Three people were charged with 42 offences over the haul which police estimated to be more than $2.35m.

The trio was detained by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and faces deportation.

Sgt Browning said three Vietnamese women arrested at a Golf Links Dr home three weeks ago were connected to the same syndicate.